(IN)TANGIBLE HERITAGE(S)

Vincent Peu Duvallon is Assistant-Professor of Architecture and Executive Director of the School of Public Architecture at Wenzhou-Kean University. He received his professional degree at the ESA in Paris, France, and has also studied at the University of Hong Kong and the Ecole d’Architecture de Versailles in France. He did his apprenticeship with two leading international architects, Christian de Portzamparc and Frederic Borel in Paris. For the last decade, has maintained an active professional practice in Asia with built works in Korea and China. His work in Wenzhou and Shanghai has been recognized for the adaptation of antiquated factories into new mixed-use facilities as a part of a revitalization project in both cities. He has lectured about his work in China, Italy, France, and the United States, and has served as a visiting faculty member at several schools of architecture in France. His research focus on contemporary vernacular environments and landscapes, particularly in Wenzhou area, south of Zhejiang.

Ruzhen Zhao has been studying architecture at the School of Public Architecture, Michael Graves College since Fall 2018. During her studies, she has been extensively involved in extracurricular projects, competitions, and research. The diverse practice in Chinese Suburban Villages got her interested in the interconnected questions of care, labor, ecology, and economy in architecture and urbanism. With the support of her instructors and the cooperation of her colleagues, her experience in Wangzhai village got her enrolled in the student’s team part of the Wenzhou-Kean University Campus Planning for the extension of the campus in the Wanghzai area. In fall 2020 she was awarded the first prize of the Wenzhou-Kean University organized competition on “Architecture, Culture and Agriculture” with her team entry “Points of Departure”. The team’s involvement with the architectural, economic, environmental, political, social, and urban context, informs her knowledge and critical analysis.

Jiawei Dou has been studying architecture at the School of Public Architecture, Michael Graves College since Fall 2019. During her studies, she actively participated in on-campus and off-campus projects, focusing on discovering problems in life. She also conducted research on Carbon Natural which was presented in Conferences and Exhibition in China and the US. In 2021, with her teammates she participated in the Songdo Library international design competition. With the guidance of her instructor, she began to get involved with project design in Shangen Music Village. As a result, she has developed a keen interest in the construction of rural areas in China, and she is learning about rural planning projects in other parts of China. She hopes to explore more content about rural development.

Nuoying Cai is a junior student in architecture at the Michael Graves College, at Wenzhou-Kean University. She comes from Rui’an, Wenzhou, a coastal city in Zhejiang Province, China As a local person studying architecture in Wenzhou, she has been involved with many research projects on vernacular architecture and landscape including Wangzhai village water system mapping and Wenzhou-Kean University Wangzhai Campus planning. In the first year of her studies she has been studying the Wenruitang water system, a student partnering with faculty research project, and conducted research on Sanyang wetland as part of a Studio on Architecture and landscape. During the last year she has been working with her team mates on an aqueduct adaptive reuse project in Caocun valley in the country side of her hometown of Rui’An, project that has been presented during several conferences and will be featured in the upcoming publication “Infrastructures and Landscape”.

Weihan Zheng has been studying architecture major at the School of Public Architecture in Michael Graves College since Fall 2018. she has been the Minister of Public Relationship Department of AIAS of Wenzhou Kean University and also the Minister of Public Relationship Department of Youth League Committee of Wenzhou Kean University. During her studies, she participated extensively in extracurricular projects and various competitions. In the studio project, she actively communicated with professors of the Department of Biology, adding ecological protection elements to the design, and trying to effectively combine architecture and water purification. In constant exploration, she tried to integrate architecture more with humanistic, ecological and other humanitarian thoughts. Therefore, she also got a lot of inspiration. In the fall of 2021, she tried to construct a post-epidemic era building in a more environmentally friendly and humane way, and won the First Prize Awards of COVID Futures Competition. The team’s involvement in architecture, economy, environment, politics, society and urban environment provided information for her knowledge and critical analysis.